1. You correct people when they say “in Long Island" instead of the correct “on Long Island."
2. You've been to Jones Beach a number of times and consider it a tourist beach. Point Lookout/Lido West/Long Beach is where it's at.
3. March, a pretty boring month until Ralph's
Italian ices opens and you roll up squad deep with your crew to get a small graham crunch and add a picture to your snap story.
4. You can recite (most of) the route of the LIRR from Penn station to Babylon along with the conductor.
5. Sweet 16's weren't just another birthday… they were as big as a wedding with a save the date, over the top invitation, cocktail hour, VIP court, and more.
6. Most of the guys you know play lacrosse and have or will be getting recruited to the best colleges in the nation for playing the sport.
7. LI bagels and pizza are incomparable anywhere else, and the love you have for them is irreplaceable. As Carrie Underwood once sang, “there must be something in the water."
8. You can find these bagels and pizza, along with delis, Chinese take-out restaurants, 7 Elevens, nail places and Dunkin' Donuts once every three blocks.
9. The day when the Jones Beach summer concert schedule comes out is one of the better days, and you cannot wait to hear “Better Days" live by the Goo Goo Dolls as you look out over Zach's Bay and the Atlantic Ocean on a summer night with all of your hometown friends.
10. You've been there countless times but sometimes take for granted that you live in the shadow of the greatest city in the world.
11. Long Island Princesses and Long Island Medium started to become a thing a few years ago and your first college friends compared you to Theresa Caputo and snobby spoiled betches from TLC.
12. Once you were old enough, everyone in your town started hitting the Hofstra strip and partying it up Hempstead style at Dizzy's and McHebes.
13. You go out to the Hamptons at least a few times every summer and know the difference between East Hampton, the Hampton Bays, and Montauk. Driving around and pretending like you are from old money, never gets old.
14. At least ten of the kids in your graduating class had the newest Beamer or Benz and whipped it to school every day, senior year, and you felt like you were riding high when you got to drive with them to the bagel store for lunch.
15. "Chawclate," “wata," and “hot dawg" are just a few of the words from the dialect you pride yourself in, and if you get made fun of for your strong accent -- fugheddaboudit.
16. As much as everyone says they cannot wait to get off the Island and be back at college, returning home is the greatest and best feeling in the world because nothing beats Long Island in the summertime.
There are way too many stereotypes, but unless you have lived in Nassau County, on Lawn Guy Land, you would not understand the privilege of having a 516 area code. And after 19 years, it is safe to say I would not have wanted to grow up anywhere else.
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
